How is some phase transition defined as sublimation?If something solid needs to become gaseous it needs to enter the state between those two, and that's liquid. I think that sublimation is a transition between solid and gas where the liquid is an intermediate that exist for a very short period. Is it true? If yes, how short the period is?

How is some phase transition defined as sublimation?If something solid needs to become gaseous it needs to enter the state between those two, and that's liquid. I think that sublimation is a transition between solid and gas where the liquid is an intermediate that exist for a very short period. Is it true? If yes, how short the period is?

No. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's not the case. When I was a kid, maybe I'd have figured something like you did. But that is not a grownup explanation for the states of matter. Look at this image I yanked from Wikipedia (also check the associated page, and others it links to:) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phase-diag2.svg You can see, there are many states of matter, and they depend on temperature and pressure. Sure you could have some liquid around while a solid is subliming, that's doesn't change the the solid-gas transition.

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That all depends on how reasonable we're all willing to be. I just want my friends back, except for Cartman, you can keep him.